Teach me to dream
by blingblingbabe
Summary: Why can't bio-andriods dream? this simple question leaves Gene and crew stumped. But when someone new wants Melfina to experiment on, the crew finds out Melfina can do so much more than dream. *epilogue up! finally finished!*
1. Emotions

Teach me to dream  
  
Chapter one~Emotions  
  
  
  
"Hello gene starwind!"  
  
Gene opened his eyes slowly. His mind felt clouded and sluggish. He tried to stand up only to realize he was floating out in space.  
  
"Shit!" he yelped as he looked around himself.  
  
It was like he was floating, but he felt as if he were standing. It didn't make sense. He lifted one foot slightly and put it back down. It felt solid beneath him, not to unsteadiness of space.  
  
"Gene?"  
  
'What the hell?' Gene thought trying to find out who was calling him.  
  
"Gene.." the voice called longingly.  
  
Gene whirled around to see..a girl?  
  
Gene cocked an eyebrow and stared at the girl standing in space with him. She tilted her head to the side and wrinkled her small nose in dissaprovement. She looked all gray, no color in her hair, skin, or eyes. She was just..a dull gray.  
  
"You're not much to look at." She stated.  
  
"What the-? Shut up, what do you know anyway!" gene shouted letting his temper get the better of him.  
  
"Much more than you, Gene Starwind." the girl said calmly.  
  
Gene's eyes widened.  
  
"Gene." The girl started to fade.  
  
"GENE!"  
  
"Wha-?" Gene asked sleepily. He looked up to see a pair of narrowed blue eyes.  
  
"Where's the-? Where's the little girl?" gene asked slowly, looking around.  
  
"Ugh! You make me sick!" shouted Jim Hawking. "I swear! Now your having dreams about a little girl! You are such a pervert!!"  
  
"Hey! It's not like that!" gene shouted trying to defend himself.  
  
"Sure you little sicko." Jim called as he left the room, slamming the door on his way out.  
  
Gene stood up stretching his arms. He grumbled looking around for his clothes.  
  
'Damnit, why does everyone pick on me?' gene whined to himself as he pulled on his boots.  
  
He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.  
  
It was like always; melfina at the stove and Jim sitting at the end of the table fiddling on his small laptop occasionally; suzuka sitting quietly in the corner ignoring her food as usual and drinking only tea; aisha wolfing down all the food on the table. Yes, it was like always.  
  
"Gene?" melfina said quietly. "Gene? Are you alright?"  
  
Gene looked at her strangely before saying, "yeah. I'm fine. Why?"  
  
Melfina blushed and looked down at her feet, aware of the eyes on her. She mumbled a simple, "just wondering." And went back to the stove quickly.  
  
Melfina felt her cheeks grow even hotter as she felt Gene's eyes still staring at her back. She swallowed quietly and pretended to be watching the bacon.  
  
"You know you should just watch her when she's in her chamber, she's naked in there after all." Whispered Aisha with a smirk beside him. "Then again," she continued, "you'd probably die of a nosebleed. I see how you blush around her 'chamber'."  
  
"Shut up aisha!" Gene shouted as he pounded his fist on the table causing Aisha's eggs to fly up and hit her in the face. Gene stared for a minute then ran out the door.  
  
"I hate you Gene Starwind!!!" aisha shrieked as she ran after him.  
  
Jim sighed.  
  
Suzuka shook her head slightly and sipped some tea.  
  
Melfina looked toward the door, and smiled.  
  
****************  
  
"Hi Gene!"  
  
'No!' gene thought wildly. 'No not again! Damnit!'  
  
He was in space, again. Gene groaned, suddenly feeling sick. He fell forward onto his hands and knees, breathing hard, looking out at the endless sea of stars stretching below him.  
  
"Gene. Why are you so afraid?" asked the little gray girl.  
  
"I'm not afraid!" gene muttered, trying to sound as brave as a person could while being hunched over.  
  
Gene slowly got to his feet, wavering only slightly.  
  
He wiped perspiration of his forehead with the back of his hand and said, "now little girl, who are you?"  
  
The little girl peered at him with her dull gray eyes. Gene shifted uncomfortably under her gaze until she smiled.  
  
"I am me."  
  
"What?" Gene asked annoyed.  
  
The girl stared at him for a while before smiling and once again speaking, this time more slowly, as if she were talking to a slow learning child.  
  
"I am me."  
  
"What the hell kind of answer is that!?" he whined.  
  
The girl smiled her small smile.  
  
"My kind of answer." She said.  
  
A low rumbling sound reached Gene's ears. He slowly turned around and saw..nothing.  
  
Smiling with relief he turned back to the little girl, only to find her gone.  
  
"Uh." Gene called nervously, "little girl? Where are you now?"  
  
His only answer was more low rumbling. Suddenly it was as if the stars were blinking out. Darkness was consuming Gene suddenly.  
  
"No!" Gene shouted as the darkness swallowed him.  
  
"NO!" Gene yelled sitting straight up in bed.  
  
Gene blinked and looked around. He was home.  
  
'Thank god.' Gene thought happily as he put his feet onto the nice solid carpet.  
  
He padded down the hall heading toward the bathroom when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"Melfina?" he called.  
  
"Gene." Was the quiet reply as Melfina stepped out of the shadowed corner of the hall.  
  
"Melfina? Wha-?" Gene asked taking in Melfina's sad aura.  
  
"Gene." Melfina started, Gene could sense the urgent note in her voice. "Gene. Why?"  
  
"Why what Mel?" he asked, genuinely confused.  
  
Melfina leaned against the wall, then suddenly buried her face in her hands and slid down the wall until she was on the floor, and cried.  
  
" Oh Mel." Gene said softly, crouching down to be level with her face, "Mel? What's wrong?"  
  
Melfina moved her hands, revealing her pitiful tear stained face, and whispered.  
  
"Gene, Why can't I dream?"  
  
Gene looked into Melfina's sad eyes and pondered the question. Why couldn't she dream? Wait. Hadn't she been able to dream before? Had she? Gene shook his head trying to remember, then suddenly he felt guilty. He couldn't even remember a simple thing about melfina. He felt disgusted with himself.  
  
"Oh melfina. I'm so sorry, but I don't know. But you know," he continued quietly, "dreams aren't really that big of a deal. And look on the bright side, at least you can't have nightmares."  
  
Gene shuddered remembering the creepy little girl he'd seen in his dreams.  
  
Melfina sniffed. "I guess." She murmured. "Yea. Cheer up." Gene said with a smile. He gently picked up Melfina and carried her to her room, where he layed her down on her bed.  
  
"Gene." Melfina whispered.  
  
"Hm?" Gene responded sleepily.  
  
"I wish you could teach me to dream." She said quietly before drifting into a dreamless sleep.  
  
Gene looked at her for a minute then smiled, tucked the covers around her then left.  
  
On his way back to his room he paused by a window. He looked at the bright city of heifong below, then into the deep star filled sky above.  
  
He looked away with a shudder as a small wave of dread flowed through him.  
  
'Yea,' he thought once again remembering the little girl and her gray eyes, ' dreams weren't that big of a deal.'  
  
Then why was he so freaked out?  
  
  
  
End of chapter one Review please! Arigatou! ~Mandy-chan 


	2. Dreamland

Hello my faithful readers! Well, I've got a new chapter up now, hurray! Hope you like it.  
  
Teach me to dream  
  
Chapter two~ Dreamland  
  
  
  
Melfina sat in her bed, the covers huddled around her, making her look like a lost little girl. She peered out of her small square window into the night sky littered with stars.  
  
A small sigh escaped her lips.  
  
She pursed her lips as she thought of what Gene had told her only a few hours ago. Why weren't dreams a big deal? Maybe they weren't big for Gene but they were very important to Melfina.  
  
Melfina recalled how she had read somewhere, a long time ago, an article about bio-androids from an anti-android company. The article had disturbed her great. Melfina scanned the words again over in her mind; though she read it long ago the article was burned in her mind, each word crystal clear.  
  
"And though androids have great abilities and are very useful in the medical and scientific field, we don't believe there is a need for bio- androids. It is ridiculous that a scientist would try and pass a machine for a human. Humans, as everyone knows, have souls, and emotions, and dreams. We, the N.A.P.A.A.I. (national association of people against artificial intelligence) believe that these machine life forms could be potential dangerous and should all be destroyed immediately. And."  
  
Melfina shuddered at the thought of being destroyed. She somehow knew, in the back of her memory files, that when they said destroyed they meant tortured. Experimented on.  
  
Melfina shuddered again.  
  
Melfina pondered what the woman had said; humans had souls, emotions and dreams.  
  
'I have emotions.' Melfina thought pensively.  
  
'I don't know about a soul.' She thought again.  
  
'But..I can't dream..' she thought looking down at her hands in her lap.  
  
A tear fell slowly down her cheek, falling with a plop onto her hand. Suddenly Melfina felt angry with herself.  
  
Wiping her eyes with the back of her hands angrily she whispered fiercely, "I'm not going to cry. I'm not just a machine, not something useless. Gene and Jim and everyone, they all need me. And I'm not going to cry anymore!"  
  
'But you are a machine. Just another computer used to find the way.' A voice inside her head told her.  
  
"Maybe just once more." Melfina whispered sadly before sinking down into her bed, pressing her face against her pillow to muffle the sound, and cried.  
  
************  
  
"Gene Starwind!!!!"  
  
"What, mom?" Gene grumbled.  
  
"You shut up! I can't believe you!" Jim shouted, stomping over to where Gene lay on the couch, his face behind a magazine.  
  
"What now?" Gene said stifling a yawn with his hand.  
  
"You idiot! I can't believe you forgot!! You were supposed to meet that old man about those repairs nearly an hour ago!" Jim shouted.  
  
"Oh yeah." Gene said suddenly remembering. " Well I hope he won't mind if I'm late."  
  
With that said Gene grabbed his cape and strode out the door.  
  
"You're such an ass sometimes Gene." Muttered Jim.  
  
Running his hands through his long blonde bangs once, Jim ran to catch up to Gene.  
  
************  
  
"Melfina?" suzuka called serenely to the figure huddled in the corner of the kitchen.  
  
"Suzuka? What's wrong?" Melfina asked looking concerned.  
  
"I could ask you the same thing." Suzuka said smiling slightly.  
  
"Oh." Melfina said, looking taken aback, "well. It's nothing really."  
  
Suzuka slightly cocked her thin eyebrow at Melfina; it was obvious she was hiding something. But suzuka, being a solitary person decided not to pursue a topic, which Melfina obviously did not want to talk about. Instead she settled for getting some hot tea out of a small kettle on the stove, and sitting down in the corner to drink it; all the while watching Melfina intently.  
  
Melfina kept shooting suzuka nervous glances. Finally Melfina came out of her seat in the corner and quietly muttered an excuse to a suspicious Suzuka, before leaving.  
  
As she watched Melfina's small frame retreat up the stairs and into her room Suzuka shook her head and went back to her now lukewarm tea.  
  
***************  
  
"So what your saying old man is we need to help you fix something but you can't tell us what it is unless me agree. Right?" Gene asked slowly staring at the strange man in front of him.  
  
The old man was one of the weirdest looking things he had ever seen. A large mop of gray hair with cool blue eyes half hidden by his long bangs. He was wearing what seemed to be a blue suit of sorts, with a very large watch on his wrist. The old mans eyes flickered with annoyance at Gene's insolent tone.  
  
"Yes. But I will be willing to pay you." He replied tersely. "And the name's Benson." He smiled baring large even teeth, "Dr. Benson."  
  
"How much." Jim challenged.  
  
"Five thousand wong if you come, and an additional twenty thousand if you complete my job." Dr. Benson smiled his large smile.  
  
"Do we have a deal?" he asked holding his hand out.  
  
Gene smirked as he took the old man's hand.  
  
"Sure Dr. Benson."  
  
***********  
  
"I can't believe that old man wouldn't tell us anything." Gene complained once they got home.  
  
"Quit complaining." Jim snapped. "We need money. Now he said he needs someone really good with computers."  
  
"Can I help?" Melfina asked leaning over Jim to peer at the directions to Dr. Bensons house.  
  
"Well I-" Jim started.  
  
"Sure Mel!" Gene interrupted with a wide grin.  
  
Once melfina had turned to get something from the kitchen Jim turned to chew out his older friend but was cut off.  
  
"I know," Gene whispered to Jim trying to be as discrete as possible, "but I think Mel hasn't had enough to do lately. It won't hurt for her to come along. Right? Maybe she really can help."  
  
"Well," Jim said quietly, giving in as he remember Melfina's happy expression once she learned she could help, " I guess."  
  
"Hey Mel!" Gene called into the kitchen.  
  
"What?" came the muffled reply.  
  
"We don't have much time so why don't you get you coat and we can get going. This guy lives pretty far away."  
  
"Ok." Melfina said stepping out of the kitchen.  
  
"See. She'll be fine." Gene whispered quietly to Jim.  
  
"But-" Jim started but was once again interrupted by Melfina calling "ready!" from her room.  
  
"Let's go then!" Gene said going out to the car purposefully ignoring Jim.  
  
***********  
  
"This is where he lives?" Melfina asked quietly.  
  
Jim looked at the directions again then nodded yes.  
  
Melfina looked wide-eyed at the extremely large house in front of her. It was easily one of the largest buildings she'd ever seen, even in the large city of Heifong.  
  
It's tall steep roof and many windows seemed to be leering at melfina and she unconsciously took a step back.  
  
"Come on. Let's get this over with." Jim muttered taking Melfina's hand and leading her toward the large decorative front door.  
  
"Now how the hell do you knock on this door?" Gene thought out loud.  
  
Melfina looked at the wall and saw a small button. She tilted her head and as if it was a reflex she reached out and pushed it.  
  
A loud ringing filled the air. Jim and Gene looked at Melfina in surprise, and Melfina herself was surprised at her own daring.  
  
The large door opened with a groan and a creak.  
  
Gene cautiously stepped in first, Melfina next (safe in the middle), with Jim bringing up the rear.  
  
"I'm glad you came." Said a voice.  
  
Gene jumped slightly and turned around to face Dr. Benson.  
  
"We wouldn't miss an opportunity like this." Gene smirked. "This is Melfina." He gestured toward her, "and you already know Jim."  
  
Dr. Benson looked oddly at Melfina, but not in a perverted way Gene happily noted. Dr. Benson slowly circled Melfina, who looked quite worried. Finally he stopped in front of her and looked her straight into her brown eyes.  
  
"You are not human." He stated simply.  
  
Melfina took a step back and blushed. Then looked at her feet.  
  
'Is it this obvious?' she thought trying to swallow the hot lump in her throat.  
  
Gene and Jim and everyone constantly told her even if they were standing right next to her they couldn't tell she wasn't human. They said she looked as real as could be. It never occurred to Melfina until now that they could've been lying. Just trying to make her feel better.  
  
Melfina tried not to cry at this horrible thought.  
  
Dr. Benson, who was a lot faster than he looked, suddenly was behind Melfina. He reached out to touch the base of Melfina's neck with something very small.  
  
"Gene.." Melfina whispered as she fell to the floor.  
  
"What the hell did you do to her!?" Gene yelled.  
  
Dr. Benson picked up Melfina and made his way to Gene. He roughly dropped Melfina into Gene's arms and said, "If you want to know, you've got to follow me."  
  
Dr. Benson slowly walked down a hallway and disappeared out of Sight. Jim and Gene, with a limp Melfina still in his arms, had no choice but to cautiously follow him.  
  
  
  
Well. That's it for now. Stay tuned to find out what the doctor wants and I'll bet you'll never guess what. Ok. Well I'll be going now. Review please. Reviews make me feel so warm and fuzzy inside.  
  
Arigatou! Mandy~Chan 


	3. Sleeping Beauty

I want to thank all my reviewers! The hard drive failure on fanfiction made me pretty down. I didn't get to update! But now I can. if I can figure out fanfiction's new layout, which I don't like at all. Oh well. No use crying over spilt milk! Here's my new chapter. I hope you like it.  
  
Teach me to Dream  
  
Chapter three~ Sleeping Beauty  
  
  
  
'Damnit. Where is this idiot taking us?' Gene thought to himself, scowling. He looked down at Melfina, who was still limp, in his arms. It was strangely like the situation in which Gwen Khan had suspended her personality. But then she just seemed..asleep. But now; Melfina felt so light in his arms, and she looked so pale; her face didn't look peaceful, like usual. Gene tried to figure out what was so different about her now.  
  
Suddenly it hit him, she looked like an android. Before she had always seemed so human, so real. But now it was like she'd changed, her skin looked different, her whole aura was..different.  
  
"What the hell did you do to her?" Gene asked Dr. Benson. Suddenly Gene felt like he had to know what was wrong.  
  
"You'll see soon." Dr. Benson snapped.  
  
Gene started to protest, but was silenced by a pleading look from Jim.  
  
Gene frowned and looked back at Melfina.  
  
"Here we are." Dr. Benson said in a singsong like voice. They had stopped in the middle of a hallway, with no door in sight.  
  
"What are you talking about mister?" Jim asked, annoyance evident in his voice. "We're in the middle of nowhere."  
  
Dr. Benson snorted then turned to the right wall. He touched one of the many panels in the wall and all the panels suddenly disappeared. Just vanished. Gene took a step back in surprise and Jim couldn't help but mutter a "whoa."  
  
"Come now." Dr. Benson addressed his stunned companions. "Follow me."  
  
They walked down the dark hallway for a little bit, and finally stopped when they came to a door.  
  
Br. Benson pressed some numbers into a number board next to the door and it slid open with a creak.  
  
They entered the room and Gene opened his eyes wide. Even after all his wanderings of the universe, he'd never seen a machine like the one in front of him.  
  
It looked like a chair, but there were thousands upon thousands of cords and wires running from it into a small capsule like thing laying on a stand near the wall. Computers and monitors sat on the other side of the room, reading off charts and numbers.  
  
"Welcome to my lab." Said Dr. Benson.  
  
"Alright. We're here. Now what did you do to Mel?" Gene asked, getting prepared to do something drastic.  
  
"And how do you know she..she isn't human." Jim asked.  
  
"Simple," Dr. Benson started. "I make things like her for a living."  
  
Gene bristled slightly at hearing Melfina being called a thing.  
  
"I can recognize any android, bio or regular, very easily. You can she's different anyway by the way she acts. She's to calm to be human. And what have I done to her? Simple." Dr. Benson's smile widened. "I've suspended her soul. Much like professor Khan once did."  
  
"What?" was all Gene managed to get out.  
  
But Jim voiced what Gene was thinking. "You can't have suspended her soul..she isn't human. So she doesn't have a soul. Right? You could only have suspended her personality."  
  
Dr. Benson smirked. "By now you should realize nearly nothing on Melfina is real. It's all synthesized, not real."  
  
"That's not true!" Jim snapped. "She has muscles incorporated within her machinery. And she has feelings and emotions."  
  
"But don't you see?" Dr. Benson asked. "All of it's fake. No matter what she does it's all based on her programming. But her programming is so advanced that no one could tell. And even though she has muscles and veins and everything like that, it's all fake. And somehow professor Khan managed to create a synthesized soul, which is like her personality. But she can live without her personality; it would be like she's just asleep. But without her soul she's nothing. Just a dead body of machinery and fake organs. That is why she look's so different."  
  
Gene closed his eyes, trying to digest this extremely confusing information.  
  
"But no need to worry. I'm going to change her back. Give her to me." Dr. Benson held out his arms.  
  
Gene saw no other option; he numbly handed over Melfina.  
  
Dr. Benson brushed her hair from the back of her neck and pulled out a small remote like machine. He pressed it lightly into Melfina's neck, just above her hairline, and clicked something on it. Melfina's eyes opened slowly. She shifted in Dr. Benson's arm with a groan, turning around to look into his face. Once she realized who was holding her, she immediately pushed herself out of his grasp, and stumbled over to Gene.  
  
Gene held Melfina close, trying to stop her from shaking when he heard the slight tap of footsteps behind him.  
  
"Now. Now. Benson, no need to scare them." A soft taunting voice said.  
  
Gene turned around and saw a man standing in the doorway of the lab. He was tall, taller than Gene, and look to be a few years older. His hair was black, and slicked back, with dark green eyes. He was wearing a simple business suit.  
  
"Gene Starwind I presume? I'm Mr. Johnson." Mr. Johnson held out his hand, but Gene didn't take it.  
  
"Why are we here? Your friend over there told us we'd get five thousand wong if we came. We came. So we need the money. And fifteen thousand if we did a certain job. Now I wanna know exactly what kind of job that is!" Gene snapped at Mr. Johnson.  
  
"I'm very sorry. My colleague isn't very big on talking, obviously. We we're going to ask you to help us find a certain type of android and then bring it here, but it seems you already have. We also need your help hooking her up."  
  
"Hooking me up?" Melfina finally spoke. She was looking at Mr. Johnson with wide haunted eyes. Gene saw how different she looked now; her skin didn't look waxy and fake, but soft and real. She looked alive now.  
  
Mr. Johnson tilted his head slightly then said, "Yes, we need to hook you up to our computer systems. We are in desperate need of your help.."  
  
"Melfina." Melfina supplied quietly.  
  
"We are in desperate need of your help Melfina."  
  
"Me?" Melfina squeaked.  
  
"Well, yes." Dr. Benson said.  
  
Melfina looked down at her feet for a long time. Finally she asked, "What can I do? Why do you need me?"  
  
"I need for you to sit in the chair, where we will hook you up. You are the most advanced android I have ever seen. A duplicate of your data will be made, and transported into the system to be saved." Mr. Johnson explained.  
  
"Why do you need her data?" Jim asked, confused. "You're not trying to find the galactic lei line are you?"  
  
"No." Mr. Johnson said shortly. " I cannot tell you why. But if you could just cooperate, it won't hurt you or cause you damage in any way, I promise."  
  
"I don't think we should do anything for you." Gene snapped.  
  
Dr. Benson took a threatening step forward, "remember, Gene Starwind, I can suspended Melfina's soul at anytime. You wouldn't want that to happen, now would you?"  
  
Melfina looked up at Gene, confusion in her eyes. Gene looked down into Melfina's beautiful face and sighed. "No, I guess not. But it's not my choice, it's Melfina's."  
  
Melfina looked from Gene to Mr. Johnson, then to the machine. She slowly took a few steps toward Mr. Johnson and said, "I'll do it." In a surprisingly defiant voice.  
  
Dr. Benson took Melfina's hand and led her to the chair. Melfina suddenly felt cold dread wash over her. She didn't want to sit in the chair. But Dr. Benson pushed her down. The minute she touched the chair, chain like restraints popped up and held her in place. Melfina cried out in surprise and began to struggle.  
  
"Don't!" Mr. Johnson said to her. "You are alright, the restraints are there to hold you in place. If you move you will move the connection. They're not there to hurt you."  
  
Melfina swallowed her fear and forced herself to relax. A wave of exhaustion fell over Melfina. She tried to keep her eyes open and in contact with Gene's eyes, but she couldn't. She slowly closed her eyes.  
  
***********  
  
'Where am I?' Melfina thought. It looked very much like the cyber World she lived in every time she got into her navigation chamber. Only it seemed darker. Melfina looked down and saw she was wearing what appeared to be a deep blue body suit.  
  
Suddenly a bright light surrounded Melfina, imprisoning her. Melfina called out for someone to help her, when a small figure came in from the distance.  
  
Melfina looked on, confused. A little girl was floating toward her, she seemed asleep.  
  
"Help me! Please!" she called toward the little girl. But the girl didn't respond, she just stayed asleep.  
  
Suddenly the light surrounding Melfina tightened in on her, large bolts of light shot out and touched Melfina, attaching themselves to various places on her.  
  
A rush of pain coursed through Melfina, as the white light appeared larger. Melfina cried out in pain, the white light seemed to be draining her.  
  
Melfina struggled against the white light until it finally let go. Melfina gasped and shuddered; breathing heavily she watched the light head toward the floating girl.  
  
"Don't hurt her to!" Melfina cried out, trying to run over to help the girl somehow.  
  
The light surrounded the little girl, closing in on her.  
  
"NO!" Melfina cried as the white light became large, then exploded blinding her.  
  
"NO!" Melfina screamed, her eyes snapping open. She looked around and saw herself in the lab, with Dr. Benson in her face. She looked around wildly and saw Jim lying on the ground, while Gene was only half conscious, being supported by a man all in navy blue.  
  
Melfina's eyes widened, looking around she realized there was at least a dozen men standing around in navy blue suits.  
  
"What did you do to them? What have you done?" Melfina asked Dr. Benson, her voice higher than usual.  
  
"Nothing to concern yourself with." Dr. Benson said. "Take them away!" he motioned to the men in blue.  
  
"You bastard!" a voice shouted. Melfina turned her head and saw Mr. Johnson struggling against four men in blue. "You betrayed me!"  
  
"Now, now. No need to get hostile, after all without you, none of this would be possible." Dr. Benson taunted.  
  
The men in blue dragged Mr. Johnson the same way they had dragged Gene and Jim.  
  
"What have you done!?" Melfina repeated loudly. "GENE!!"  
  
  
  
Well that's the end of my chapter. It's my pathetic attempt at a cliffhanger. Oh well. I'm just sitting here at home, writing a lot. I'm sick so I have nothing to do. Grr. Allergies suck. Oh well. Review make great medicine for me..he he.  
  
Arigatou! Mandy~Chan 


	4. Little Lydia

I'm back! Hey! Why is everyone running away? Oh well. Here's my new chapter, and don't worry, you find out a lot about that mysterious little girl in this chapter, so read on.  
  
Teach me to dream  
  
  
  
Chapter four~ Little Lydia  
  
"Damn. What the hell did I drink to have this kind of hangover?" Gene muttered as he struggled to get up. He looked around discovering he wasn't in his bed, he was in a large white room with two people sleeping next to him on the floor, Jim and Mr. Johnson.  
  
"What the-?" he said looking around. Then the memories of what had happened, along with a sharp pain in his temple region, came to him. The lab, Dr. Benson, the machine, Melfina..  
  
Forcing himself up, Gene walked on shaky legs over to Jim.  
  
"Jim?" he asked quietly, shaking Jim slightly. "Jim buddy. Wake up."  
  
Jim's only response was to groan and roll over. This gave Gene some relief because he now knew that no matter what condition he was in, at least Jim was alive.  
  
Gene turned his attention to Mr. Johnson and a scowl crossed his face. He walked over and kicked Mr. Johnson's right leg.  
  
"Hey!" Gene shouted not caring if it hurt the taller man's ears, "hey you lazy bastard! Get up!"  
  
Mr. Johnson jumped slightly and sat straight up, his eyes confused. He slowly observed his surroundings before staring up at Gene.  
  
"Well my friend," Gene said, lowering himself to sit next the confused man. "You've got a lot to explain. And I've got all the time in the world. That is, until my buddy over there wakes up."  
  
***********  
  
"Let them go! Please!" Melfina half yelled, half sobbed.  
  
"I cannot do that." Dr. Benson responded distractedly while messing with some dials under the computer.  
  
"Very good. Very good." Dr. Benson nodded. "You've given up about twenty percent of the memory's you have stored in your data base. Of course most of them are useless. But the ones that are important more than enough make up for the useless ones."  
  
"Let's see." Dr. Benson muttered to himself while Melfina watched on with wide terrified eyes. "Yes. At least seventy six percent needs to be transferred for her to work. Let's see. Seventy-six for poor power, eighty- four percent for normal power and at least ninety-three percent for above average power."  
  
Melfina lowered her head slightly to look at her feet, which were tightly restrained to the chair. It was all her fault. Gene and Jim were in trouble and it was all her fault. A tear made it's way down her flushed cheek.  
  
"Now, now." Dr. Benson said, his voice startling Melfina into looking up. "No need to cry. This doesn't hurt that much now does it? Besides it's for the greater good."  
  
Melfina sniffed.  
  
"Well. You know, I could have put this machine on high, causing it to drain nearly all your data at once. Now that would be painful. But I've decided to be at least a little caring. After all I'm pretty much killing you, I might as well make it painless. After all, it's not your fault you were made the way you were. So I've decided to take you data gradually, a few percent at a time. So see, it's not that bad."  
  
Melfina's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to plead with him to stop but it was to late, she could feel the familiar feeling of exhaustion settling over her.  
  
***********  
  
"I guess you could say this is my fault." Mr. Johnson started sadly.  
  
"Yea? How?" Gene asked sarcastically.  
  
Mr. Johnson frowned but continued. "This all started about a year ago. Do you like the name Lydia?" Gene stared at Mr. Johnson, who only laughed. "Yea. I know. Weird question. But I loved the name Lydia. It was just so beautiful. So I named my daughter Lydia. Lydia's mother ran off when she was little, but that made me love Lydia all the more. Oh, she was such a beautiful little girl. Long blonde hair, soft green eyes, and such a sweet smile. I loved her smile. She was my Lydia, my little Lydia. But, about a year ago, my little baby was killed. Murdered, by heartless bastards! Cold heartless thieves. You see, we were heading home after a vacation. We were at the space station, and I left her in the ship while I went inside. I was only going to be gone for a minute. But..three thieves hijacked my ship and killed my little girl. Oh god. I was so devastated. I just wanted to die."  
  
Gene looked on with confused eyes. "Hey Mr. Johnson, I know that's sad and all. But what does this have to do with what you did to Mel?"  
  
Mr. Johnson continued on, ignoring Gene. "But then I heard about this genius man. This wonderful man who could create amazing androids, so real you couldn't tell. So I went to him. I told him I wanted my daughter back, and I would do anything to have her back. So we started to plan. We were going to build the most convincing bio-android ever; she would be the most advanced over her kind. We tried and tried to download databases that would be wide enough but none worked. But then, when I thought it was all in vain, I hear from someone one heifong about a young outlaw. An outlaw by the name of Gene Starwind, who had a very unusual young woman traveling with him. A young woman who rode in the most unusual chamber on his ship, a young woman who was so naïve and innocent I t was like she wasn't human, a young woman with no last name, or family, or past. A young woman named Melfina. So I asked Dr. Benson to find out all he could about you. And about Melfina. So he did, he found out everything. And he found out about Melfina's advanced database. A database so advanced that Melfina could worry, and fear, and complain, and be surprised. It was almost to good to be true. So I decided to use her."  
  
"You bastard!" Gene interrupted. "You cold heartless bastard! Melfina isn't something you can use and just throw away!"  
  
"Calm down Mr. Starwind. I'm not finished." Mr. Johnson said annoyed. "Anyway. Dr. Benson said he had created a machine that would take any android's database and make a complete copy, then download it into any other android. I asked him if it would hurt or damage the first android in anyway. He said it wouldn't, but apparently he lied."  
  
"Yea." Gene agreed bitterly thinking of Melfina crying out in pain under the influence of the machine. He remembered how he had tried to run toward her, only to be hit by a big, beefy man in blue. Gene snapped out of his own thoughts when he heard Mr. Johnson continue.  
  
"Well. He pretended to be a client for you so you would come to our place. I thought he would just copy Melfina's data and then let you all go on your merry little way. So I could go on my merry little way with Lydia. But he betrayed me. Goddamn it, I wish I knew what he was doing with Lydia."  
  
"And Melfina." Gene added.  
  
"But I don't have any idea. It must be some sick experiment. But with this man I wouldn't know. His to damn smart for his own good." Mr. Johnson muttered, looking at his shoes.  
  
A loud groan made Gene and Mr. Johnson turn their heads; Jim was sitting up, his eyes were still half closed and his hands were shaky.  
  
"Gene?" Jim asked once he saw Gene, "where are we?"  
  
Gene sighed. He scooted over until he reached Jim and began to explain everything.  
  
************  
  
Melfina heaved a shuddering breath. She swallowed and stood up, her weak legs wobbling under her. She looked around and realized she was back in the labyrinth of data. Hugging her arms she looked around, trying to discern anything, it was so very dark.  
  
Suddenly she felt afraid, she needed to move, to leave this place. She began to run, fast and hard. Melfina wasn't too great at many things, but she was very good at running, even in high heels.  
  
The clicking of her shoes against the dark ground echoed around her. She didn't have any idea where to go, where to hide, what to do. She felt sick.  
  
Suddenly light filled the dark hallway she was running down, Melfina gasped and turned around.  
  
"Leave me alone!" she yelled at the orb of light following her.  
  
"No! No!" she cried as the light surrounded her, closing in on her.  
  
Melfina couldn't move. She felt paralyzed by fear. All she felt she could do was scream as the light consumed her once more.  
  
************  
  
Gene lay looking up at the white ceiling.  
  
Jim had been devastated when he'd found out what was happening to Melfina. He apparently had been hit so hard he couldn't even remember going into the lab. Gene felt guilty; he had been the one who had agreed on Melfina accompanying them.  
  
"How could I have been so stupid?" he whispered to the ceiling.  
  
The ceiling offered no advice.  
  
Gene shifted, trying to find a comfortable position on the hard floor.  
  
Mr. Johnson had propped himself up in a corner, and fell asleep. Jim was sitting in the middle of the room staring into space. Gene lifted his head a felt a stab of pain in his temple. It hurt worse then before.  
  
He felt blackness surrounding him. The last thing he saw was Jim looking over at him, before he fell asleep.  
  
"Hey Gene! Long time no see!" a voice called cheerfully.  
  
Gene opened one eye and saw the familiar face of the little girl staring down at him. She giggled when he jumped slightly. She straightened up and backed off, giving Gene room to stand.  
  
Gene looked at her. The little girl was different. He looked down and realized, normally the little girl was gray all over. Wearing a simple gray dress, short sleeved, reaching her knees, and simple gray sandals. But now..up to her knees was..normal. Her shoes were a shiny black, her knees a pale peach. From the knees down she looked normal now.  
  
The little girl cocked her head, staring at Gene. Once she realized what Gene was staring at she giggled.  
  
"Yea! Isn't it neat? I don't have to be gray anymore."  
  
"Why are you gray anyway?" Gene asked.  
  
"I can't tell you." The little girl said, suddenly serious.  
  
"Why not?" Gene whined.  
  
"Because, someone told me not to." The little girl looked down at her now black shoes.  
  
"Please?" Gene pleaded with puppy dog eyes, trying to turn on the charm.  
  
"Alright." The little girl finally gave in. "but you can't tell anyone."  
  
Gene leaned in a little closer so the girl could reach up to whisper in his ear.  
  
"I'm gray because I'm dead."  
  
  
  
Whoa. That was a weird chapter to write..muahaha I think I did a good cliffhanger..kinda..sorta. Anyway. I am feeling much Better now thanks to my medicine and your reviews. They make me Feel so very happy! So review please! I'm going to see a movie tomorrow (Just Married, I love Ashton Kutcher!) so I think the next chapter will be out around Monday.  
  
Arigatou! Mandy~Chan 


	5. Perfect Machine

Hello my fans! First off...I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!! I beg that you all won't kill me!!!! I didn't mean to have this long a space between updates. Pleeeeeease don't hurt me! I didn't mean to but I just got carried away with the musical and my orchestra concert and my transfer into high school and all that other stuff. Not to mention a nasty romance which resulted in one happy best friend my boy friend and a crying me. But I've gotten over that all now and I'm back to my inspirational writing! It calms me. I will try hard to update often. actually this story doesn't have too much more to go anyway. Ok well I've kept you all waiting long enough.  
  
Teach me to dream  
  
Chapter five~ Perfect Machine  
"Help me..." Melfina sobbed quietly.  
  
"Oh come on." A voice floated around her and Melfina was suddenly snapped from the dark maze in which she had been trapped.  
  
Melfina struggled to discern who was talking, and soon the face of Dr. Benson blurred into view.  
  
Melfina didn't feel pain. She didn't feel sick. She didn't feel...anything.  
  
'I feel so drained.' Melfina thought wearily. Even her own voice inside her head sounded tired. Was that even possible?  
  
Melfina let out a small groan.  
  
"Hmm, yes. Just as I thought. I am really sorry to put you through this Melfina but I'm afraid I must. I really don't enjoy hurting people you know."  
  
Melfina stared blankly into Dr. Benson's eyes.  
  
"What are you saying? What are you doing to me!?" Melfina whispered her voice hoarse from fear.  
  
"I suppose it won't be any big deal if I tell you. After all since I am in a sense 'killing you' I suppose I owe you an explanation. But as I said before it will all be for the greater good you know."  
  
Dr. Benson went over and pulled the only chair in the room from a corner and set it directly in front of Melfina. Once he was finally settled in the chair Dr. Benson looked at Melfina and began to explain.  
  
"I suppose it started a little less than a year ago. This extremely rich and pathetic man came to me, and asked me to design something. You see Melfina a year ago some thieves murdered Dr. Johnson's daughter and so he came to me. The fool wanted a replacement for his daughter. This sad little man was willing to pour in millions upon millions of dollars so I could research a way to create the perfect machine. The perfect android. Now I've designed androids that were extremely realistic for years and years, but when this man examined them he said 'no, this one has to be perfect. I must not be able to tell that she is a machine.' That was a difficult task even for me. But then I figured out a way to cut the corners on my work, I invented a machine. A machine that transferred not only data from one android to another, but also their whole self-learning program. But the problem was I couldn't find a single android advanced enough. Until I heard about you. There had been a rumor about you going around us scientists for a long time. And now I've found you. I'm sorry but I must use you. Your data will now be her data. You have learned new things, and she will learn things."  
  
"W-Why?" was all Melfina could choke out.  
  
"Simple. Now even though our dear Dr. Johnson has 'given' me generous 'donations' if I used this android for my own purposes it will be much more beneficial. So now that I've betrayed Dr. Johnson and I've taken his precious Lydia for myself all I have to do now is get rid of the evidence." Dr. Benson said with a sarcastic smile.  
  
"What will become of Gene?! And Jim?!" Melfina shouted once she realized what he was saying.  
  
"Destroyed."  
  
The simple word caused Melfina to freeze. Again. It had happened again, everyone was in trouble and it was all her fault.  
  
"NOOOO!" she screamed struggling against the restraints of the chair.  
  
Dr. Benson backed up, shock evident on his face.  
  
"Please! Let them go! Please, they didn't do anything to you!!!" She wailed, tears sliding down her face. A beeping sound came from the corner and knobs and dials were spinning out of control on the computers.  
  
"Alright! Alright!" Dr. Benson shouted. "I'll let them go!"  
  
Melfina looked at him in surprise.  
  
"But only if you do me a favor."  
  
Melfina looked down for a minute then nodded.  
  
******************  
  
"WAH!!??" Gene shouted backing away quickly from the little girl.  
  
"DEAD!? What the hell are you talking about!?" Gene shouted again.  
  
"Calm down please. Melfina is in trouble." The little girl pleaded.  
  
"Huh? Melfina?" Gene asked immediately getting quiet and listening.  
  
"Yes." The little girl said staring at Gene with empty gray eyes. "And I'm afraid it's all my father's fault."  
  
"Your...father?"  
  
"Yes. Listen please. My name is Lydia Johnson-"  
  
"WHAT!?" Gene interrupted.  
  
"Let me finish. My name is, no was, Lydia Johnson. I was murdered about a year ago, by thieves on my father's ship. I was barely alive when my father found me. There was nothing he could do to save me, but he couldn't let me go.  
  
My father was always the scientist type, inventing and such. So when he found me half dead he tried to do anything to save me. He managed to hook me up to his computer through wires he inserted into my veins through needles. He tapped into my memory through brain and nerve analysis and made a sort of back up of me. He put in my whole personality. It was like he put my whole soul onto that tiny little disk."  
  
"That's messed up." Gene blurted out in spite of himself, but quickly covered up his mouth and muttered apologies to Lydia.  
  
"I agree Gene Starwind," Lydia said with a sad smile. "And apparently so did whoever I go to in the afterlife. I've somehow been stuck here in this dark cold labyrinth for a year. And I think I'm going to be stuck here forever."  
  
Gene looked sadly at Lydia, but before he could say a word Lydia interrupted him.  
  
"Now. We have to help Melfina. When my father found Dr. Benson to replace me he didn't consider that Dr. Benson would betray him. But he has..."  
  
"Obviously." Gene muttered.  
  
"If we don't get Melfina off that machine she'll die!" Lydia snapped.  
  
Gene looked at Lydia wide eyed.  
  
"Look!" Lydia said pointing at her legs, which from the knee down were still normal. "That's Melfina. Dr. Benson is transferring not only Melfina's data but also her life force into me! If we don't stop him he's going to turn Melfina into a gray lifeless doll! And me into a mass domination machine!"  
  
"WHAT!??" Gene shouted for the second time.  
  
****************  
  
"Dr. Benson? What are you going to do with Lydia?" Melfina mumbled.  
  
"See this?" Dr. Benson asked suddenly holding up a thin gray disk, "this is Lydia's data. Not really data because when this was taken Lydia was a real person but I'm calling it data anyway. I was supposed to transfer this into Lydia's memory when I was done, to make the Lydia replacement complete."  
  
Dr. Benson tossed the disk onto the floor, and then slammed his shoe onto it, breaking it into a dozen little pieces.  
  
"Without this data Lydia is a lifeless little doll in which I can command to do anything. Now you may think that a little android like Lydia could do nothing. But with your advanced data and my advanced programming I could turn her into my perfect domination device. If I hook her up to a ships mainframe computer I could not only crash it but also make it do anything I wanted. I could do this with space stations, and even whole planets electric systems. I could hack into banks and government systems and do absolutely anything I wanted."  
  
Melfina stared at Dr. Benson, her eyes wide with horror.  
  
His words echoed in her mind.  
  
"Anything I wanted."  
  
"Now dear. Time to retrieve some more data." Dr. Benson said with a smile.  
  
"No..." Melfina pleaded weakly, but it was to late.  
  
****************  
  
"And that is how he would control me. Actually now that I think of it, it wouldn't really be me at all. It would just look like me."  
  
Gene didn't know what to do.  
  
"Oh gene I know it's tough but you've got to figure out something. You ca- "  
  
Suddenly Lydia stopped talking and her eyes, though it was hard to tall because of their color, or lack there of, became large and unfocused. She seemed to be in a trance until a loud shrill shriek filled the air.  
  
"That's...Melfina!!" Gene shouted at last realizing who it was.  
  
"What's Melfina doing here?" He asked Lydia, but she was still in a daze.  
  
"Hey!" gene shouted, when Lydia suddenly began to fade into darkness.  
  
"Hey!!" Gene shouted again charging at Lydia only to go right through her. He suddenly seemed to be falling.  
  
"AHH!!" He screamed as he flew though the darkness.  
  
"Gene.." he thought he heard Melfina whisper.  
  
"Melfina." He said quietly.  
  
"GENE!"  
  
Gene awoke with a start.  
  
"Gene?" Jim asked hovering over Gene. "Gene are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine." Gene said in a shaky voice. "But I have to get to Melfina!"  
  
Turning to Dr. Johnson, who was now awake and stood awkwardly near by he said, "I need to get out of here!"  
  
"There might be one way." Dr. Johnson said looking down.  
  
**************  
  
"Urgh." Melfina groaned.  
  
"Well done. I suppose your feeling drowsier than usual but I want to speed this up so I decided to go ahead and speed up the process. I now have a little over seventy-eight percent. That's enough to get Lydia started."  
  
Melfina barely processed this information, it hurt to think, to breathe, to exist.  
  
Dr. Benson walked over to a computer and typed in a few numbers before pressing the send button. Suddenly a hissing sound filled the air, and a crack came from the right side of the room.  
  
Melfina slowly turned her head and saw a small capsule like shape, where all the wires from the chair she was in went into. But now it was open, looking much like the suitcase she herself came out of.  
  
A young girl stepped out and Melfina gasped, despite her weak state. It was the girl from inside the labyrinth, the sleeping girl. This was Lydia?  
  
The girl opened her eyes revealing green irises and dilated pupils.  
  
Suddenly, Lydia's eyes focused, and when she spoke it was loud and clear, not soft like Melfina had expected.  
  
"Name: Lydia. Objection: Destroy this world."  
WOAAAAH! Wait a minute. She'ssupposed to be Benson's tool, not a mass destruction thingy!. what's going on. Find out next time. on bumbumbum, teach me to dream. Please review to!  
  
Arigatou! Mandy~Chan 


	6. All fall down

It's been a long time I know. and I feel super bad about this. but I was completely blank on what to write on this fic. and I was busy with my new chobits fic. which you should all check out! ^_^. But anyway. This is the next to last chapter. I hope you enjoy.  
  
Teach me to Dream  
  
Chapter six~ All fall down  
  
"Well? What way?" Gene asked Mr. Johnson.  
  
He seemed to be debating something in his mind for a long time before he finally said, "stand back."  
  
Gene and Jim backed away bewildered as the doctor gently knocked on the walls with his knuckles until finally coming to a stop near one of the corners.  
  
Gene looked at Jim who shrugged.  
  
Mr. Johnson fiddled around with something in his hair just behind his ear, and then took out what look liked a thin blue stick. He slicked back his dark hair and smirked at Gene. His deep green eyes suddenly became hollow and he said, "take care, you ass."  
  
And then he snapped the stick in half with his fingers and the room exploded.  
  
**********************  
  
"What the hell?" Benson sputtered.  
  
The young girl stood before him, her green eyes wide and haunting.  
  
"You are not to destroy the world. You are to help me rule it!" Benson shouted.  
  
Melfina stared at the girl her mouth hanging open slightly. This little girl was going to destroy the world?  
  
Lydia ignored Dr. Benson and slowly headed toward Melfina, who was watching, awe struck. However, Lydia ignored Melfina as well and walked past her, heading toward the series of monitors and wires set up by the wall.  
  
"What are you doing? Obey me!" Dr. Benson roared, as he advanced on the girl.  
  
Lydia turned around, and fixed him with a hard stare, before taking him by the arm and throwing him across the room. Melfina screamed out loud as Dr. Benson soared through the air and landed with a sickening crunch on the ground.  
  
Melfina stared at Dr. Benson whose left arm stuck out at an odd angle. It reminded her...of what happened at the lei line. The way Harry had looked, lying on the floor lifeless.  
  
"GENE!!!!" Melfina screamed as loud as she could.  
  
Lydia took no notice.  
  
*****************  
  
"Gene!"  
  
Gene woke up with a start, looking up to see Jim.  
  
"Gene! Thank Goodness your ok." Jim smiled. Gene could see a cut across his cheek and frowned. What had happened?  
  
Gene stood up and look around at the room, or lack there of. Then he remembered.  
  
Mr. Johnson had blown himself up to save them.  
  
"Where-?" Gene began to ask, but was cut off when Jim silently pointed to a hand sticking up from a pile of rubble.  
  
Gene ran over and began to move the rubble over. After a few minutes he unearthed Mr. Johnson's body. The green eyes were open, haunting and unseeing.  
  
Gene put his fingers over Mr. Johnson's eyes, and gently closed them.  
  
"GENE!!!!" a scream echoed through the air.  
  
"Come on! We have to hurry!" Gene said, snapping out of his stupor, as he began running toward the hole in the wall created by the explosion. They were in a hall. Another scream came from somewhere up ahead.  
  
Gene and Jim raced down the hall, heading toward the sound, both hoping they weren't to late.  
  
***************************  
  
Melfina was screaming every few seconds in hopes of alerting someone to her whereabouts. So far no one had come.  
  
Melfina could hear Lydia still typing away into the control board.  
  
"You-you're evil." A voice stuttered. Melfina turned her head to see Dr. Benson standing up slowly, cradling his left arm. He suddenly convulsed horribly and spat out blood onto the floor.  
  
Melfina suddenly felt nauseous.  
  
Lydia had stopped typing. She turned around slowly and walked over to Dr. Benson, who backed away slightly.  
  
"Me? I am not evil. You are evil! For you have tampered with androids all your pathetic life. We are not guinea pigs. You and all of humanity will pay for your crimes." Lydia smirked.  
  
Dr. Benson backed away, his eyes wide. Lydia slowly reached out a small hand toward his neck.  
  
Melfina turned her face away and stared at the ground while she heard the sputtering and choking of Dr. Benson in the background.  
  
She screamed once more.  
  
*********************  
  
Gene heard yet another scream and realized it was much closer.  
  
"Gene! I think that lab is around here! Starting touching the panels!" Jim shouted already doing so.  
  
Gene growled in frustration and began skimming his hand over panel after panel.  
  
"Gene!" Jim shouted. Apparently he had touched it, for now there was the same dark hallway in front of him.  
  
"No time to waste!" Gene shouted, running past Jim into the dark hallway.  
  
***********************  
  
"The fool." Lydia said, looking down at the doctor's body. "He sealed his own death warrant by feeding your data into me. You have a complex data capable of emotions. I only have one emotion right now though. That is hatred. Hatred toward humans."  
  
Lydia walked back to the controls and said; "now it is the humans turn. I think I shall start with Blue Heaven."  
  
"What?" Melfina asked, disbelieving.  
  
"I shall hack into their control systems. Shut them down. Shut the air vents down. Then send that pathetic place, and the humans in it, floating off into space." Lydia said coldly.  
  
Wires suddenly seemed to be moving by themselves. They attached themselves to her, going deep into her skin.  
  
"But there are androids on there to!" Melfina shouted.  
  
"A small sacrifice." Lydia said simply.  
  
"Melfina!" a voice shouted suddenly.  
  
"Gene!!" Melfina cried out in response.  
  
Gene and Jim came running into the lab.  
  
Lydia frowned.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, turning to face Gene.  
  
Gene's eyes widened. It was the girl from the dream; Lydia. But this girl, seemed nothing like her, she seemed far more cold and hard.  
  
Without warning Lydia launched herself at Jim, kneeing him hard in the stomach. Jim gasped for breath and sank to the ground, winded.  
  
"Why you!" Gene started, but he to was cut short as the strong android punch him in the stomach.  
  
Gene fell, but wasn't out. He swung his foot, catching Lydia hard in the shin, causing her to fall.  
  
Gene scrambled up and prepared to fight again. Lydia got to her feet quickly, breathing heavily, glaring at Gene.  
  
He reached out to punch her, and it suddenly dawned on him, he was fighting a little girl.  
  
Lydia, taking advantage of Gene's lapse in concentration, grabbed Gene by the arm and swung him up into the air, before slamming him down on the floor.  
  
Lydia put her foot on Gene's back, pressing hard onto his ribs. Gene yelped in pain.  
  
Melfina struggled to get out of her chair, but was stuck tight. She watched as Gene suffered under the cruel androids foot.  
  
"No...no...NO!!!!!!" Melfina screamed suddenly.  
  
The entire room began to shake. The dials and monitors spun out of control. Lydia looked up, fear in her wide eyes, at the still screaming Melfina.  
  
Gene took the opportunity and got up slowly, pausing a moment to cough up a pool of blood. Standing up shakily he turned to see Lydia, standing stock- still. He looked over at Melfina, and a sudden urge came over him. He ran to her and threw his arms around her, before collapsing onto her.  
  
"Gene." Melfina whispered, crying, then everything was plunged into darkness.  
  
*********************  
  
"Gene." A gentle voice said.  
  
Gene woke up, he was in the labyrinth, but he was with Melfina this time.  
  
"Gene. I can save us all. I'm still linked to Lydia. Place her back into the capsule and I can beat her. Gene. Please. Don't forget me." Melfina said, tears slowly making their way down her face.  
  
"Forget?" Gene asked.  
  
"When I destroy her, I'll be destroying myself as well." Melfina said, smiling sadly.  
  
"NO!" Gene shouted, "NO! I won't let you!"  
  
"Gene please. Save Jim. And free Lydia. The real one." Melfina said. Now sobbing quietly. She seemed to be drifting away.  
  
"NO!" Gene shouted, running after her. "Please NO!!!"  
  
*******************  
  
Gene woke up with a start and automatically got into a fighting stance. He looked around and saw Lydia standing over Jim, kicking him.  
  
"AHHH!" Gene shouted, throwing his whole weight at Lydia knocking her off her feet.  
  
He punched her across the face quickly, trying to get a head start. Lydia kicked him in the thigh, causing him to buckle over.  
  
He stared up as Lydia began to take her foot, and was about to bring it down quickly onto his head, but she stopped moving.  
  
"Gene!" a voice called.  
  
Gene sat up and let his mouth hang open at what he saw. Lydia was being held back by Lydia. The real one. Only she was soft and see through.  
  
"Gene! Please. I can't hold her for long! Help me put her into that capsule!" the ghostly Lydia cried out.  
  
Gene sat and stared in disbelief.  
  
"Gene!" she cried out again, "please! Set me free! Set Melfina free!"  
  
At the mention of Melfina, Gene got up quickly and ran over to both Lydia's. The ghostly Lydia seemed to sink into the android one, and she stopped fighting, she was limp in his hands. All the wires that had been attached to her fell off.  
  
Gene quickly ran to the capsule and set the girl down in it, and began closed the top.  
  
Almost immediately, hundreds of wires attached themselves to Lydia. She suddenly awoke and it seemed the ghostly Lydia was gone, for this Lydia began to scream and struggle once more.  
  
Electricity flowed through the wires and Lydia seemed to be in great pain because of it. She shrieked in pain and arched her back, her green eyes were wide.  
  
Another scream filled the air, and Gene raced over, stopping in front of Melfina. She appeared to be doing the same thing Lydia was, shrieking in pain against the electricity, which was now crackling all around them both.  
  
"Melfina!!!" Gene shouted.  
  
"Gene!" Melfina screamed in between shrieks of pain, "get Jim and leave!"  
  
Gene suddenly saw flashes of Melfina in his mind. When he had first seen her, emerging from her suitcase. When he promised he would help her. When she had healed him in the chamber. When Harry McDougall had been talking to her at the Grave of the Dragon. When she had been suspended by Gwen Kahn. When she had been taken by the lei line. When they had kissed...  
  
***********************  
  
"Oh no. I made you cry again Melfina. What is it that you wish for?" Gene asked.  
  
"I want to stay who I am." Melfina said, smiling sadly, as tears poured down her cheeks, "I want to be with you forever Gene."  
  
"Well that's what I want to." Gene said.  
  
He slowly leaned down and kissed her gently.  
  
***************************  
  
Gene didn't know what the fell he was doing. But all he knew was that he loved Melfina more than anyone in the whole world. He reached out and grabbed Melfina's arms and began pulling hard.  
  
He screamed in pain as electricity shot through him, burning his skin like fire. But still he pulled harder, trying to free Melfina of her restraints.  
  
His eyes were watering from the pain; his bones seemed to be on fire. With one loud roar he pulled with all his might, and the restraints snapped suddenly, and both he and Melfina flew backwards.  
  
In the corner, the capsule smoked slightly, the occupant inside had stopped screaming. Suddenly all the dials and monitors on the walls, which had been going out of control before, exploded.  
  
Gene sat up, holding Melfina, who was unconscious, to his chest. The chair in which Melfina had been sitting blew up as well. The whole lab was falling apart.  
  
Jim was stirring in the corner, coughing.  
  
Gene acted on instinct; he flung Melfina over his shoulder, feeling a quick twinge of guilt; grabbed Jim and held him under his arm; then raced down into the dark corridor, running faster than he ever had before.  
  
He panted, and as though being guided he ran this way and that, until he ended up into the front hall. Still amazed that he had found his way on his own Gene raced out of the mansion's door and wasn't but a few yards away when the entire house blew up, sending him, Melfina, and Jim flying into the air, landing many feet away.  
  
Gene got to his feet, only startled and scratched by the landing. He ran over to Melfina and Jim, who had landed only a few feet apart. He checked them over once, and satisfied that they were not to badly hurt, let out a whoop of joy.  
  
They were alive.  
  
Oh my god. That was a long chapter. Heh. But that turned out a whole lot better than I thought. I've been writing for two solid hours, being suddenly inspired. Now all that's left is the epilogue. While you're waiting for that you can review! ^_^  
  
Mandy~chan 


	7. With You

Well. Here is the last chapter in my first really though out, my own plot, outlaw star story. And although I'm sad to let it go, I'm very happy I finally got off my lazy butt and finished it. So without further adue...the conclusion to Teach me to Dream.  
  
Teach me to Dream  
  
Epilogue~ With You  
  
"Where the hell were you guys?" Aisha shouted as Jim and Gene, who was carrying the still unconscious Melfina in his arms, entered Starwind and Hawking enterprises.  
  
Gene and Jim ignored her, dragging themselves past her, toward the living room. Gene lay Melfina gently on the love seat, and then collapsed onto the couch while Jim lay down in the large armchair.  
  
Soon both were asleep.  
  
Aisha stared for a minute before shouting, "what the hell is going on?!?"  
  
"Shut up Aisha." Gene grunted.  
  
As the ctarl-ctarl screamed in indignation, Suzuka slowly headed down the stairs toward the living room and smiled, this was how it was supposed to be.  
  
**********************  
  
"Gene." Melfina said quietly, gently prodding him.  
  
"Nuh." Gene moaned, waving his arms around.  
  
"Please Gene. Can we got to the graveyard tonight?" Melfina asked.  
  
"Graveyard?" Gene asked, suddenly awake, and looking bewildered at Melfina.  
  
"I know it's been nearly two weeks since it all...happened. But I can't get her out of my head. Please I need to be there." Melfina pleaded.  
  
"Alright." Gene agreed, looking around. It was still dark. He shrugged on his trench coat as Melfina sat in the darkness.  
  
When he was ready at last Melfina walked ahead of him slightly, opened the door, and stepped into the cool night.  
  
They walked in silence for what seemed like hours; at last they were on the outskirts of town. They stopped in front of a large old iron gate in which the words 'Rest haven Cemetery' were printed in faded silver.  
  
They had been here only one week ago, and that was for the small and quiet funerals for Lydia Johnson and her father. Gene frowned slightly as he remembered what Johnson's dead eyes looked like.  
  
He shook it off.  
  
Melfina lead the way, finally stopping in front of two small identical gravestones.  
  
Melfina sniffed sadly and kneeled down in front of them. Gene stood silently behind her, head bowed.  
  
"Rest in peace." Melfina murmured sadly, reaching her fingers out, gently touching Lydia's head stone.  
  
It happened at once. A light flooded all around her, and she was in a meadow. A beautiful meadow full of sunflowers. And in the middle, in a bright yellow sundress, stood Lydia, her eyes glowing as she looked at Melfina.  
  
Melfina pushed her way through the flowers until she reached Lydia. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Lydia and whispered, "I'm sorry you have been used so much. I know what that is like."  
  
Lydia continued to smile before she too wrapped her arms around Melfina.  
  
"Please. You have no need to feel sad." Lydia said, now taking her hands and placing them on either side of Melfina's face, forcing Melfina to look into her bright green eyes.  
  
"What you and Gene Starwind have done is amazing. I cannot thank you enough. You have helped me. I'm not in that cold dark world anymore. I'm free. I'm free!" Lydia cried out, tears dripping down her cheeks.  
  
"Lydia!" a deep voice called out from nowhere.  
  
Both girls turned to look at Mr. Johnson, who had just appeared in the field.  
  
"Daddy!!" Lydia shouted as she ran at brake neck speed towards her father. She launched herself into her father's chest and began sobbing.  
  
"I never though I'd see you again. I love you so much daddy." Lydia said, her voice muffled.  
  
"I love you too." Mr. Johnson said, burying his face in his daughter's hair.  
  
They hugged for a long time, while Melfina sat and watched, her heart filled with happiness. She and Gene had done the right thing.  
  
"We have to go now Melfina. But you tell Gene to take care." Mr. Johnson said, starting to turn around and walk away, still cradling his daughter. But he soon stopped and called over his shoulder, "if Gene breaks your heart, you call me."  
  
And with that the entire meadow melted away, once again revealing the dark graveyard.  
  
Melfina sat shocked for a minute, before turning around to face a concerned looking Gene.  
  
"Mel? Are you ok? You went into some type of trance. I-whoa!" Gene cried out as Melfina had hugged him with all her might, tears slowly making their way down her face.  
  
"Gene! We did that right thing! We didn't use her. She doesn't hate us. She's happy now!" Melfina cried out, hugging Gene tighter.  
  
"That's good." Gene said, though he didn't have an idea what she was really talking about.  
  
"Gene." Murmured Melfina, her brown eyes widening slightly as she looked up into his blue ones.  
  
"Melfina, I-" Gene began, but stopped. What could he say?  
  
'Say you love her you idiot!' a familiar voice floated around Gene. Gene smirked, good old Johnson offering his last bit of advice.  
  
"Gene, I'm sorry. I know it's late. I shouldn't have dragged you he-" Melfina began stuttering apologies quietly before she was cut off as Gene slowly covered her mouth with his in a simple chaste kiss.  
  
Melfina's eyes widened, but soon she closed them and enjoyed the romantic moment. But to her they broke apart to soon.  
  
"Melfina. I-I love you more than anything." Gene stuttered, the words felt foreign on his lips.  
  
Melfina gasped in spite of herself. She barely muttered an 'oh Gene' before she fell into sobs and threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder.  
  
"Mel, I-" Gene began, very disappointed. This wasn't working out like it was supposed to. "Mel. Are you sad?"  
  
"Sad?" Melfina hiccupped, "oh no! I'm crying because I'm so happy. I've waited for so long to hear those words Gene, though I didn't realize it until just now. I'm so happy."  
  
Gene almost cried with relief himself. He dipped down and once again kissed Melfina, only with a little more passion this time.  
  
From a distance a small girl and a tall man seemed to be floating in the sky, watching the kissing pair, and smiling.  
  
The End.  
  
Ok. That's it. It's done. Oh man. Heh. Now if you thought this was good you need to go check out The Ryunoken Sword, The Ronin's Outlaw Star story. It is amazing and well thought out and wonderful. Ok but enough of my ramblings...I'm outta hear to plan some more fics. Oh and just because the story is over doesn't mean I don't still want a few new reviews. ~_^  
  
Sayonara! Mandy~Chan! 


End file.
